Infection Control

ENA has partnered with the American Nurses Association (ANA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to train U.S. nurses in infection prevention and control. The goal of this partnership, the Nursing Infection Control Education Network (NICE), is to provide real-time, tailored infection control training to nurses and improve infection prevention and control practices known to be effective in preventing exposure to emerging infectious diseases.

Nurses are the front-line of defense against infections spreading in the U.S. healthcare facilities. Moreover, the increasing number of emerging diseases often forces nurse to take on roles outside their normal duties, such as roles in environmental cleaning and waste management. With the evolution of emerging threats and ongoing issues such as healthcare-associated infections, nurses need to be equipped to understand and follow infection control procedures to not only protect themselves, but also to protect their patients.

The purpose of the Enhancing Education and Training on Infection Control for U.S. Nurses project is to:

Provide real-time, tailored infection control training to nurses

Improve adherence to infection prevention and control practices known to be effective in preventing exposure to emerging infectious diseases, and

Enhance the confidence of nurses to care for patients with other highly contagious diseases through effective education and training

Emergency Nursing 2017 Pre-session

Please join us in St. Louis, Missouri for Emergency Nursing 2017 and an opportunity to participate in a hands-on training session on infection prevention and control.

ENA is partnering with the National Ebola Training & Education Center (NETEC), whose members are experienced faculty and staff from Emory University, the University of Nebraska Medical Center/Nebraska Medicine, and the New York City Health and Hospitals/Bellevue.

In the workshop, participants will review infection control principles and personal protective equipment (PPE). Applying those principles, participants will navigate clinical scenarios while maintaining staff safety. Presenters will discuss basic concepts of infection control and prevention, review core principles for selecting appropriate PPE, and compare varying levels of PPE. Guided by specially trained nurses skilled in highly contagious diseases, all participants will have an opportunity to experience hands-on simulated clinical care skills while wearing PPE.

A small focus group facilitated by the ANA will be held directly after the workshop, from 12:00-1:00 pm with lunch provided. Workshop attendees who are interested in participating in the focus group please contact monica.kolbuk@ena.org.

Webinars

Lessons from an Outbreak Investigation, presented in April 2017, is available online from the CDC. The webinars Advances in Sepsis: Protecting Patients Throughout the Lifespan and Tune In to Safe Healthcare: Preventing the Next Avoidable Catastrophe in Low and Middle Resource Countries can be found on ANA’s website.